Ron Pulley, Champion of Agriculture

Ron Pulley, Champion of Agriculture

Ron Pulley passed away in late June after a lengthy illness. He was passionate about Wyoming, about UW, and about agriculture, and he dedicated not only his resources but all his time and energy to support the things he loved.

Ron and his wife Lynne first became involved with the UW College of Agriculture in 2004 when they were awarded a grant proposal for meat research into the raising of yaks. In 2008, they funded a charitable gift annuity that supports graduate assistants in the Department of Animal Science, among other support.

Then, in 2013, the Pulleys established the Ron Pulley Rapid Response Agricultural Research Fund. It funds applied agricultural research at the University of Wyoming addressing current issues faced by Wyoming agricultural producers. The goal of the fund is to respond quickly to producers’ questions with timely science-based solutions.

For example, the fund supported a study of the economic importance of sheep production in Wyoming. The study found that Wyoming has a robust sheep industry—approximately 354,000 head in mostly large flocks throughout the state—and sheep production will likely remain a vital part of the state's agricultural economy for the foreseeable future.

Ron and Lynne have raised dogs, chinchillas, yaks, and Highland cattle, among other things. Most recently, they raised rare Mulefoot hogs, which are the descendants of pigs brought to the Americas by the Spanish in the 1500s. In Mulefoots, the normally cloven hooves are fused into a single toe (syndactyl)­.

Ron and Lynne worked closely together and loved their animals. “You are not comfortable leaving your ‘children’ with other people because you always are worried they are not being taken care of quite like you would have,” Ron said.

Ron attended the University of the Pacific to become a pharmacist, but when he found he preferred business and psychology classes to organic chemistry, he switched majors and earned a bachelor’s in psychology. He said that what he learned from his degree was invaluable throughout his life.

He and Lynne met while at university. Throughout their lives, they lived in western Iowa, western Nebraska, Grand Junction, Colorado, Cheyenne, and then Huntley. Their livelihoods were in agriculture, and Ron also worked in banking.

Ron’s agricultural advocacy extended far beyond UW’s Laramie campus. He served as vice chairman of the James C. Hageman Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension Center, which promoted innovation in agriculture. Ron was a member of Wyoming Leadership Education and Development (LEAD), which develops exceptional agricultural leaders. They were also awarded the College of Agriculture and Natural Resources Legacy Award in 2012.

Our deepest condolences to Lynne and the Pulley family.

If you would like to support the programs that Ron believed in so strongly, you can make a memorial contribution to the Ron Pulley Memorial Fund. Contributions can be made online at uwyo.edu/giveonline—make sure to enter the name of the fund in the box under Gift Designation. You can also call the UW Foundation during normal business hours at (307) 766-6300 or send a check payable to the University of Wyoming Foundation, 222 South 22nd Street, Laramie, WY, 82070.